Bread stuffed with meat

The hubby has been under the weather lately, and I asked him if there was anything that would make him feel better for dinner. And he wanted bread stuffed with things.

He loves bread stuffed with things, and it's a good way to sneak vegetables into him. It doesn't quite work with the kids yet, as they are suspicious of any dish that wants to hide in bread. But since I like calzones or meaty pastries myself, I do make them every now and then; the kids will eat calzones if I cut them into little pieces and give them some pizza sauce to dip it in; for other dishes, I just serve them the filling separately.

So, how do I have the time to make meaty pastries? Well, they are on the time-consuming side, but not too bad if you use frozen bread dough. (There's no way I would try to make my own bread; my husband went through a phase when he was doing it, and although the results were tasty, they just weren't worth the effort; don't tell me that it's easy, I am just not the kind of person that has the inclination or time to make my own bread, as lovely a pasttime as it may be).

I don't know when I first found out about frozen bread dough. It wasn't something my mother ever used, and when I was single, I had no real desire to work with dough. But now that I have discovered it, and all the delightful bready dinners it can yield, I am hooked.

So, they usually sell bags of five one-pound loaves. Usually, one loaf will feed the family, but while I am at it, I go ahead and thaw two and make a big batch of whatever I am making.

Tonight I made Bierox, a German meat-and-cabbage-stuffed pastry that my husband goes nuts over, and that I am partial to myself. I monkeyed around to make my own recipe, so I doubt it's authentic--it just tastes good to me.

So, recipe:

2 lbs frozen bread dough (two loaves)
1 lb lean ground beef
1 small cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Basil

First, in the morning, take out two dough loaves, wrap them in foil, and put them in the fridge to thaw. They will still be a little frozen in the evening, but the dough is actually a little easier to work with when it is cold and firm.

Then, when you have the time (sometimes I do this the night before), make the filling. Put the beef in a large skillet (I use my big cast-iron pan) and cook the beef. When the beef is starting to brown, add the onions and spices; after two more minutes, add the cabbage. Cook until the cabbage is wilted.

Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350. Cut each loaf into four sections, and roll each into a circular shape, no more than 6 inches in diameter. Put approximately a cup of filling in the middle, and the fold the edges into the middle. Pinch and knead the edges of the dough together so you have a good, tight seal that won't burst open in the oven. Place them on the cookie sheet, and then cook them for 20-25 minutes.

We eat about half for dinner the first night, and then they are good for lunches during the rest of the week. Really good.

As I said before, calzones are also popular. I don't make the super-gooey calzones you get at restaurants; you can actually cut down on the fat, sodium and calories considerably by using ricotta cheese--and in my opinion, you don't lose out that much on flavor.

I take sixteen ounces ricotta, mix in a tablespoon of basil, and sometimes a cup or so of mozarella (to give it a bit of gooey, but you don't have to). And then, go crazy. Olives, broccoli, pepperoni, tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, bell peppers--whatever your family likes on their pizza. Then, like with the Bierox, roll out some of the dough, daub a 1/2 to a cup of filling in each one, and fold. I fold calzones in the customary semi-circle shape. To do this, put the filling slightly off center, and then take the edge of the dough CLOSER to the filling and fold it over (this helps stretch the dough out a bit and compress the filling). I then take a fork and press it along the edges to get a good seal. Again, cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes, and then serve with pasta sauce.

If anyopne else has good bread-based recipes, share them! I am always looking.